The Royal College of Anaesthetists Launches e-Learning Initiative

2009-05-28

At the Emirates Stadium, London, on 11 June, 2009

May 28, 2009, Press Dispensary.The Royal College of Anaesthetists, the professional body representing anaesthesia in the UK, is introducing an interactive e-Learning resource to support training and professional development in anaesthesia. The programme will be launched by the President of the College, Dr Judith Hulf, at its annual College Tutors conference on 11 June, 2009.

e-Learning Anaesthesia (e-LA) is a joint initiative between the Royal College of Anaesthetists and e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH), a Department of Health (England) programme. It is an interactive web-based educational resource that encourages self-directed learning and is available free to all anaesthetists practising in the NHS.

Authored, edited and peer-reviewed by anaesthetists experienced in both teaching and examining, e-LA provides the following elements:

e-Library – direct access to thousands of journal articles cross-referenced to sessions in the anaesthetic curriculum

e-Assessment – self assessment sessions with feedback for examination practice and to support continuing professional development amongst specialists.

Judith Hulf, President of The Royal College of Anaesthetists, says: “Technology is set to transform the way doctors access high quality training materials both in and out of the workplace. e-LA is at the forefront of this change and will provide a national e-learning programme to ensure that all anaesthetists continue to be trained to a consistent and high standard and are supported to maintain that standard with continuous learning throughout their professional lives.”

Julia Moore, National Director for e-Learning for Healthcare, says: “As a mode of delivery for educational material, e-learning harnesses the latest technology to support flexible and self-directed learning for today and tomorrow’s medical workforce.”

The Royal College of Anaesthetists is proud to be part of the e-LfH programme, which has already won several industry awards and has been credited by Sir Liam Donaldson as “one of the most positive developments in medical education in 20 years.”

The e-LA launch takes place at the Emirates Stadium, London, at 4.30pm on Thursday 11 June, 2009. For programme details, including speakers at the event, and press attendance, please contact Deborah Rowlanes at

Further information on e-Learning Anaesthesia can be found at http://www.e-LA.org.uk. Images and logos are available on request.

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Notes for editors
The Royal College of Anaesthetists is the professional body, founded in 1992, responsible for the specialty of anaesthesia throughout the United Kingdom. Its principal responsibility is to ensure the quality of patient care through the maintenance of standards in anaesthesia, pain management and intensive care. The college has approximately 14,000 fellows, members and trainees.

e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) is a Department of Health programme in partnership with the NHS and professional bodies, providing high quality e-learning content for the training of the healthcare workforce across the UK. For more information, please visit http://www.e-lfh.org.uk

For further information, please contact:
The Communications Section, The Royal College of Anaesthetists
Tel: 020 7092 1693/1692
Email: or
Site: www.rcoa.ac.uk